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The world is full of unsolved problems. It is also full of problems for which solutions already exist, if we only leverage them. When we slow down for a minute, consider the available options, and more carefully assess the consequences of various modes of action, we have a better chance of directing our efforts where they ought to go–for the good of ourselves and the issues we face.

Matthew Cohen ’18 and Johnathan Bowes ’15 debate whether Puerto Rico should become the 51st state in the United States. Cohen urges us to question the previous votes in Puerto Rico as well as its tremendous debt while Bowes argues the US should respect the will of Puerto Ricans in whatever they choose.

Review: LMFAO’s ‘Sorry For Party Rocking’

Their group name is LMFAO: obviously, uncle and nephew duo Redfoo and Sky Blu aren’t aiming for seriousness in their music. The title of their second full-length studio album, “Sorry for Party Rocking,” reveals the same; LMFAO came to bring a 60-minute barrage of electro-pop to overstimulate their already sweaty, dancing target audience. While “Sorry for Party Rocking” is perfect for a night out, its real failure comes in its tiresome repetition – the album sounds like one endless song.

The duo’s first album, “Party Rock,” released in 2009, introduced their vision of endless nightlife. Singles “I’m in Miami Bitch” and “Shots,” along with the rest of the somewhat interchangeable tracks, were almost perfectly engineered for a hot, too-crowded college party. Nonetheless, LMFAO seemed like a “one-hit-wonder” type of duo, not one with a whole lot of talent behind the music.

However, for a group that doesn’t exactly display versatility in their musical style or talent in their singles, LMFAO has been wildly successful. Exhibiting the marketing skills they probably inherited from Motown Records founder Berry Gordy, their father (Redfoo) and grandfather (Sky Blu), LMFAO quickly won the hearts of college students around the world with their perfect party lives and enormous female entourage.

The first single from “Sorry for Party Rocking,” “Party Rock Anthem,” quickly became the duo’s most successful individual song of their first two albums, perhaps for its somewhat generic description of a party (“everybody just have a good time”) that can appeal to a broader scope of audiences. However, compared to the rest of the album, its sound completely blends into the crowd.

In fact, the songs that shine somewhat are those that feature the talents of other artists. For instance, “Take It to the Hole” features an annoying tinny whine throughout the song, but a guest appearance by Busta Rhymes gives the song more credibility and differentiates it, somewhat, from the other hour of electro. Similarly, “Champagne Showers,” the second single from the album featuring Natalia Kills, might be a thinly disguised extended metaphor for something else, but at least the sound of a woman’s voice breaks up the rest of the album.

However, the key failure of “Sorry for Party Rocking” comes with its lack of even one song that breaks the others’ mold. A few have promise: along with the collaborations, which at least insert another voice, “With You” seems like it might introduce a new sound, with a more sophisticated techno intro that feels like it could’ve been produced by Daft Punk. However, it quickly disintegrates into almost the same beat as every other tune on the album. To be blunt, every song sounds the same, and a run-through of “Sorry for Party Rocking” leaves listeners wanting a little more.

In the end, “Sorry for Party Rocking” starts the party like it was meant to do, but if you’re looking for some pensive music this summer, LMFAO isn’t for you. However, if you’re planning on partying, expect to hear “Sorry for Party Rocking,” which might just be a frat DJ’s dream come true.

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COMFORT WOMEN WANTED brings to light the memory of 200,000 young women, referred to as “comfort women,” who were systematically exploited as sex slaves in Asia during World War II, and increases awareness of sexual violence against women during wartime. It is based on interviews with Korean, Chinese, Taiwanese, Indonesian, Filipino, and Dutch “comfort women” survivors and a former Japanese soldier from WWII conducted by the filmmaker, Chang-Jin Lee, a Korean-born visual artist from New York City.

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THE LADY ONSTAGE explores the life and work of Olga Knipper, a name unfamiliar to most, but perhaps best known as “Chekhov’s wife”. Olga was a key creative genius in [...]

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Event Details

THE LADY ONSTAGE explores the life and work of Olga Knipper, a name unfamiliar to most, but perhaps best known as “Chekhov’s wife”. Olga was a key creative genius in the history of modern theatre; she was not only the originator of the leading female roles in Chekhov’s four major plays, but also became the de facto chief representative of the Moscow Art Theater when they toured the United States. THE LADY ONSTAGE takes us into the psyche of an actress at the moment when theater changed forever, giving us an inside perspective on the radical choices artists make in the name of Art and Love.

March’s Rough Reading presents an intimate reading of Erin Bregman’s new play in early draft form, offering audiences a rare opportunity to engage directly with the artistic process of bringing a play to life. Produced by Playwrights Foundation in partnership with the National Center for New Plays at Stanford.